Into the Light of Darkness: A Grey Jedi is Born
by Dray'ven Darklight
Summary: A slave born into a world of Fear. Baptized in darkness. Branded with a great power deep within himself that he must master in order to survive. A fate intertwined with the Force. A path existing in both the Light-side and Dark-side. Is he destined to become Sith or Jedi? Or something else entirely...
1. Prologue

**Into the Light of Darkness**

Prologue

It was completely dark. Rare for a planet nestled deep in a binary system. The cold winds normally would have been a blessing, if not for the stinging silicon dust and dirt that were being carried with it. Ventra bared down hard with labored groans and muffled screams that were barely escaping through her clenched mouth. At times she wondered which was going to break first; her will to bring this baby into this arid desert planet, or her _teeth_. The salty sweat dripping from her forehead which, at first, was irritating her eyes and creeping into her mouth; now only caked onto her face, lathered in dirt and grime. The elder mid-wife at her feet coaching her through for what must have been hours. Keeping her focused and guiding her through to the inevitable end. That end being a beginning for another. A beginning to a life of dirt, blood, sweat and tears – a life of servitude for the Hutts.

 _What am I doing… what have I done…?_

Ventra asks herself over and over. Birthing an innocent child onto this cursed desert rock at the edge of nowhere. With only one surety; to gift this child her mirrored life of misery and death. The world that took this baby's father before he ever had the chance to know him. Before he could know of his sacrifices, his strengths and his _love_.

 _Why is it so quiet... calm, even?_

The moment of realization hits her like a stun-rod - " _I'm not pushing_." Her body is now relaxing and the pain is beginning to drift away. Her eyes begin to drift as well, they drift until she is staring at the mid-wife who, in-turn, meets her gaze. And for the first time since meeting this old slave of a mid-wife, one which had been tasked to help Ventra in this time of need, Ventra notices her… _smiling_. In her arms she cradles something.

Ventra now tastes the salty water in her mouth again - " _Sweating still."_ She thinks at first, but then suddenly Ventra's voice escapes her and she comes to realize that her body knows something before her mind has had the opportunity to process. Ventra is weeping now, as the old mid-wife begins to hand over the baby gently. Ventra's hands are already prepared, reaching out invitingly, to take her child and press it to her chest and never letting go. Ventra lightly wraps the baby into her arms and looks into his eyes.

 _They're HIS eyes… my… husband's eyes._

Ventra now knew what she was doing, what she had done. She could not kill the only piece of him that remained, the only thing that could carry on his name. Even though he was gone and " _Become One with the Force_ " (as he would always put it). A part of him now lives on in this child, _his_ boy.

 ** _"_** **Dray'ven** ** _."_**

Ventra whispers this boy's name. _His father's son, with his father's eyes_.

"His father's name...", she says to the mid-wife.

Ventra looks into those beautiful brown eyes and sees the familiar hints of green and silverlight. _My husband's eyes - s_ he could not push this recurring thought from her mind. While falling deeper into Dray'ven's eyes she became overcome with a deep sense of... _Hope_.

Ventra slept more soundly that night than ever before, at least as far as should could remember. The cool breeze slowed, no longer carrying with it the stinging sand. Just the rare cool air not often felt on the hot surface of Tatooine. Ventra slept with her baby boy nestled up to her side…

 _Standing alone in an oasis while looking up into the skies. Ventra quickly realizes the hot and relentless binary suns are gone. In their place… nothing. Just pure light that is soft, inviting and hypnotizing. She steps forward and feels an odd sensation and looks down. She is standing on the edge of a pool of water within the oasis. Her bare feet enveloped by the crystal clear waters. The moment her skin was coated with the warm water she could feel the love, joy and hope that had flood her soul and had encompassed her when holding her little Dray'ven just moments before. Ventra stepped deeper into the water. This at first surprised her since she had always feared deep water, it's something she only knew from stories and holovids – more fantasy than reality. But now she could barely keep herself from jumping in headfirst. From feeling her whole body surrounded by this warmth under such beautiful soft light._

 _Ventra took another step in further and started to submerge under the warm surface water and she began to feel… coldness. She went even deeper until the warm surface was at her waist. But below it was a dark, ice cold feeling that began to overwhelm her. The soft lit skies began to turn dark and foreboding. The once blue clear sky began to bubble with purple-black clouds. Ventra began to sink into the waters. All the warmth was now gone and all she felt was a dark cold fear. Not fear for herself but fear for a piece of her… something separate yet a part of her… Dray'ven! She opened her eyes in that ice-cold pit and looked down, deep into the endless black void._

An infant's bellowed cries pulled Ventra hard from of her deep sleep _._ She looked at her baby boy, pulled him in close and held him tight. Ventra squeezed him gently and began to sob, crying _with_ her baby boy. She held him and kept telling herself to _never let him go_. Whispering into his ear, promising to never leave and that she would always protect him. Then guilt pierced her stomach, cutting deep like a cold blade, and she realized that this moment would be the first time she lied to him…


	2. Chapter 1

Into the Light of Darkness

 _The Beginnings of Dray'ven Darklight_

Chapter I

 _I am 6 years old today…_

Dray'ven sat alone, resting his chin on his knees, hugging his legs while his back pressed against the curved cold damp stone. Slaves walked by lines of two; those coming in and those going out for the short reprieve of stale moldy rations and contaminated water. A single dim light at the mouth of this particular tunnel seemed as bright as a sun when illuminating such a black space. For every 30 or so slaves Dray'ven would catch sight of the handful of _slavers_ that accompanied them, keeping the slaves in line and on schedule. The _slavers_ who didn't even bother collecting the corpse off the ground that lay at Dray'ven's feet. Dray'ven pulled himself in tighter, clenched every muscle he had and slowed his breathing. He closed his eyes while the slavers passed him by –

 _You can't see me… I'm just a shadow._

He thinks to himself – no, not think. _H_ _e believes it_. He _is_ a shadow and nobody can see him, not unless he wants them to. At first Dray'ven wonders if it's just his imagination. Something that he's convinced himself to be true in order to cope with the fear of being found and forced to work in the mines. But now he knows it is more than a fantasy.

It's been days now that he's sat here in this very spot, unnoticed and as still as the stone that surrounded him. Days without sleep, without food and water. Sooner or later he knows that he will have to come to terms with his new reality…

 _I am 6 years old today… and I'm all alone._

Dray'ven's body begins to force on him the fact that he is hungry and his mind finally recalls a memory for what feels like the first time in his life… his last meal. _What was it?_ He thinks hard trying to recall, pulling at that memory like it were a heavy weight tied to a long rope. Slowly bringing the thought it closer to the forefront of his mind until he finally catches a glimpse of what's on the end. _That's right!_ It was _Bread and_ …

"What's that?!" Dray'ven asks with a stare that is equal parts perplexity and caution.

"That, birthday boy, is _Blue Milk_!" Ventra says with probably the proudest smile she has ever donned, Dray'ven thinks.

"And… what's _that?"_ Dray'ven demands, not completely satisfied with his mother's overly simplistic answer that lacked very _valuable_ details in his mind.

"It's good for you and impossible to come by. Come on, try it, you'll love it – I promise."

Dray'ven takes a cautious sip of this weird liquid. He knows that his mother would _never_ lie to him, but this is completely new ground. He never considered food or drink other than what he had been raised on so far.

He lets the liquid swoosh around in his mouth first before swallowing. It's _weird_ , not bad weird but definitely different. It's thicker, sweeter – MUCH sweeter (he likes this change). Something else surprises him as the flavor sets in. It tastes… familiar. Ventra must have recognized the look on his face when this realization hit him.

"I used to give this to you every day back on Tatooine, it was your favorite. I mean, it was all we had since water was impossible to come by there. You still don't remember?"

"Mom, I was a _baby_ then. I'm almost _six_ now. Plus what good does it do me to remember something like that?" Dray'ven says with pride – he is one step closer to being a _man_ now, after all.

Dray'ven wants to gulp down the Blue Milk as fast as he can drink it. But it is so delicious and he knows to savor every drop. He could feel how happy his mother was to have been able to obtain this for him, watching him enjoy his birthday present, and he didn't want to rush the experience as much for her as for him (if not more-so).

Dray'ven was barely sipping the bottom of the Plasteel cup when he could feel a tingle run up his spine. He had had moments of fear before something bad was about to happen before. Usually a cave in, Detonite explosives, drunk slavers looking for something to pummel or worse. But this time it was different, it was more than fear – it was _panic._ Dray'ven could feel his palms begin to sweat, his breathing turned shallow and rapid, stars began to flash before his eyes –

 _Poison?!_

His mind begins rushing with questions faster than he could possibly answer them;

 _Was it the bread? - The Blue Milk!? - Where did mom get this? - Who gave it to her?_

Dray'ven looked up.

"Mom?"

He expected to see the same fear in her eyes. The need for a mother to protect her child, to protect _him._

"Mom, where are you?" he whispers, tears now beginning to well in his eyes.

Dray'ven glances to his left, then to his right. He's straining to see into the darkness of the mines - desperately looking for his mother. She is nowhere to be found. Dray'ven knows where he has to look, but he doesn't want to –he shouldn't _have to_.

His breathing has slowed, his knees give way and his body goes with it. He slumps into himself so fast that his chin bounces off his knee cap. A metallic taste begins to fill his mouth, _I must have bit my cheek_ , he thinks. But Dray'ven doesn't feel any pain – in fact he feels nothing. The panic is gone, is heart beat has slowed to a crawl and his skin feels as dry as a desert stone.

Dray'ven sits there, alone, resting his chin on his knees. He slowly wraps his arms around his legs pulling his heels in as close as he could. His back molds perfectly against the cold wet surface rock behind him. Dray'ven stares ahead blankly. He never looked down. He didn't _have_ to.

Ventra is staring back at him. Pupils wide with her eyes barely open, as if freezing mid-blink. Her mouth is only slightly agape with a trail of blood seeping from the corner of her lip. Her body lying on its side. Her right arm seems to rest comfortably in front of her while her left looks uncomfortably locked behind her – as if a slaver was manipulating the joint to force her where she didn't want to go. Her legs seems as much separated from her body as they were attached, useless and weighted like the legs of crippled slaves Dray'ven had seen in the past.

Dray'ven sat there and stared ahead watching slaves and slavers alike pass him by. They were blurs on his periphery while he waited. Seconds turn to minutes. Minutes to hours and finally days… Until that special day comes, a day that he refused to have without his mother with him.

 _I am 6 years old today._ He thinks and glances up, away from his mother for the first time in as long as he can remember now. _You can't see me… I'm just a shadow_ he thinks to the slaver who, at first, started looking his way. He averts his eyes and now stares straight ahead pushing the slaves forward. _I am 6 years old today… and I'm all alone._ His stomach growls…

Dray'ven stands up losing sight of his mother. Staring straight ahead into the cold empty black void of the mines. He begins to walk down the long corridor. Deep into the bowels of Kessel. Nobody notices him as he glides through the lines of slaves and slavers. Suddenly he takes a sharp left turn. He does not know why he is going this way, his mother always warned him against this passage. Stories of slavers and slaves disappearing without a trace, of monsters born of slaves' worst nightmares. Stories that once terrified him; but not anymore. He passes a sign with a skull and crossbones and red writing that his mother told him was called _Basic._ He comes into a hastily constructed barrier Dray'ven easily slips through with his thin-small frame. For a moment he pauses on the opposite side of the barrier. He stands still and thinks for a second turn back, run back to his mother and hold her. Hug her until he falls asleep and never wakes up. He lifts his right foot and steps…

 _Forward… I never looked down. I'll never look back. I must move Forward. I'm hungry, and I need to find something to eat…_


	3. Chapter 2

Into the Light of Darkness

 _The Beginnings of Dray'ven Darklight_

Chapter II

"He was a boy, a youngling… he was just standin' there, starin' at me. It felt like he was lookin' _through_ me. I wanted to move but I was, I was – I don' _know_ what was wrong with me but this boy was doing it, I was frozen in place!"-

-"Poo-doo!" Someone yells out from the crowd.-

-"No _poo-doo!_ This boy made my blood run cold an' as I stare at him he began to disappear. _Right-in-front-of-me_! The boy vanished like a specter!"

The physically animated story being played out amongst the crowd garnered equal parts hearty laughter and silent fear. A group of at least twenty slavers comprised of mostly humans with a handful of Rodians and Sullustans mixed in, stood in a semi-circle around what must have appeared to be the ramblings of the town drunk at a campfire. This _drunk_ was, in fact, a slaver as well. Though you probably couldn't tell by first glance. He was at least 10 kilos underweight with scars and open scratches running from his hands that traveled well into his biceps. The odd tics and unusual behavior had all signs pointing to "Spice Addict."

The Spice Mines of Kessel produced a drug that the owners would argue carry "Medicinal Value." Unfortunately the Glitterstim spice produced solely in the mines of Kessel were as likely to land in a Med-Center as a Gamorrean to being their head surgeon as well. Glitterstim was well known as the most powerful of Spice in the known galaxy and was an extremely profitable enterprise for gangs such as the Hutts. What most didn't realize or likely even _want_ to know was that it brought in a sizeable profit for the Empire and their "elected" officials.

It wasn't uncommon for a slaver, or a slave for that matter, to sneak in their own taste of the product. An issue typically nipped in the bud when someone was dumb enough to be seen or become excessive, but otherwise a relatively harmless and unpreventable occurrence when working a Spice Mine. But when food rations and supplies start disappearing, they need replacing. Replacements cost credits, and when credits start being spent the bosses start asking questions. Head-Master Slaver Molag Kel doesn't like it when the bosses start asking questions.

Molag entered the Slavers' Quarters catching only the tail-end of this rambunctious play-acting. He was abnormally large for a human. Even stranger yet was his reputation for his speed and power when taking into account his size. He was clean and carried with him an air pride. Molag Kel's pride wasn't what he was known for though. It was his knack for getting things _done_ by what whatever means he deemed effective and quick. This resulted in a reputation of cruelty that even scared slavers away.

It seemed as if he were a Haz-Container with legs and as he walked through the crowd he was permeating poisonous gas that caused the group to dissipate quickly. _Hmm, now they have work to do._ He thinks to himself amusingly. He walks up to the lead performer and isn't surprised to find the source of all this excitement; _Lowiq_. A frequent abuser of spice who up until now amazingly hasn't let this habit come between him and his work. Plus there are benefits to having someone on Molag's staff who is perfect for some of the more _interesting_ assignments that come up now and again.

Molag moves toward Lowiq until he meets with him toe-to-toe, his hulking stature excels over Lowiq's frame in both height and width. Lowiq quickly drops his chin to his chest and averts his eyes down to the floor. Molag reaches out his hulking hairy hand and pinches Lowiq on the point of his chin. He slowly adjusts Lowiq's head until they are looking eye-to-eye.

"What assignment have I entrusted you with, Lowiq?" Molag asks with an almost threatening undertone.

"Guardin' m-m-minin' supplies and foods – I mean _rations_ , Boss Head-Master." Lowiq stutters in fear.

"So explain to me how we have had three – _THREE_ \- incidents of rations going missing!?"

Lowiq stood there looking stunned and confused. "Must'a been the _boy!_ " Lowiq said, his eyes wide with fear and shock.

"What do you mean, the _boy_?" Molag spat, losing his patience quickly. "-Don't even answer that question. I'm gonna make it simple for you. If _one_ more ration is stolen under your watch we won't need to hang the bodies of slaves in these here mines to remind people the consequence of crossing me. The body of a _slaver_ should show everyone how serious a crime it is to _steal_ from _**Molag Kel, Head-Master**_." Molag didn't even bother waiting for Lowiq or any of the bystanders witnessing the verbal onslaught to confirm that his message was loud and clear.

Molag turned on his heels and hulked out through the main archway back toward his living quarters. Lowiq stood there, completely frozen in fear, if not for the trembling in his fingers. When his hands finally came to a calm and the feeling returned to his legs Lowiq turned sulked over to the archway leading to a room labeled " _Supplies._ " He sat down looking out into the caves for anyone or anything that may come his way. The other slavers in the area had finally all but cleared out. Lowiq watched as the last remaining stragglers grabbed water containers and head out to their duty assignments. When the last one left in a hurried jog Lowiq finally felt a moment of peace…

 _Cold_. Lowiq felt the shiver run up his spine. A child's giggle reached his ears that seemed almost like a chilled whisper. His head snapped to the entrance of the darkened unlit supply room.

Dray'ven was a boy who did not smile much anymore. It had been weeks since his mother died. At first he thought he could survive in the mines but soon came to realize that the deeper he went, the more the fear began to take him. He had to find a way to get food and water without aid. At first he would use his ability to force those around him to not notice him. He had learned to transform that ability and make slaves or slavers think they were done eating or drinking. The hungrier or thirstier they were the more challenging he found this task to be. The focus required to complete one task only made it harder to successfully complete the other. In the end he would sometimes find himself more drained and weak than ever.

Dray'ven needed a new tactic. It was simple enough. Rather than attempt to trick others into not noticing him _and_ their food. Instead he would just focus his energy on being a perfect shadow, collect what he needed, and move back into the restricted caves. This made things much easier for him. Too easy in fact since his successes, apparently, were getting a lot of attention. But Dray'ven didn't mind this too much at the moment.

It was entertainment for him to see this slaver try and convince a crowd of cowards like him and look like nothing more than a _fool._ This was enough for him but the Blue Milk of this encounter was seeing the giant slaver, Molag Kel's performance. The fear this man brought into the room seemed to fill Dray'ven's stomach like he had gorged a week's worth of rations. Dray'ven didn't understand why but the more scared a person was, the more focused Dray'ven became, and right now he felt strong enough to take on this whole group of slavers.

Fortunately for Dray'ven though, he was smart enough to know how much of a _bad_ idea that would be. Dray'ven stood there as this final scene played out. The hulking slaver turned and walked out - surprisingly fast for a man his size Dray'ven noted in the back of his mind. Dray'ven watched as the skinny slaver that he had been toying with for a couple weeks now sat down and stared out to the caves. Dray'ven could taste the fear emanating from the slaver. Dray'ven could feel the muscles at the corner of his lips begin to tighten. At first he fought back the urge. Something inside urged him to not let it happen, his mother was dead and he was alone. Less than a slave. He had no place in this galaxy for happiness, even a moment of it. But no matter how much he fought the urge he knew deep down that this was a battle he would lose.

Finally the muscles tightened and he could feel the uncomfortable and unfamiliar _smile_ form on his face. And behind that smile he let out a small laugh, a _giggle_. The slaver's face shot towards Dray'ven, his eyes staring in horror. Dray'ven reached over and picked up a single ration and held it out in front of him.

The boy was looking Lowiq dead into his eyes. Something was different about the boy this time. He was _smiling_ at him, this seeded more fear into Lowiq than even Molag Kel had just moments earlier. The boy reached over and picked up a ration off a stack in the supply room. The boy extended his arm with the ration in hand with his smile widening. The boy let out a final giggle, slowly closing his eyes and _vanished_ from sight. Lowiq slowly turned his head back looking out into the caves. Lowiq stared out and began picturing exactly where his body would be hanging from and if he'd get a good taste of spice in before Molag returned to deliver on his promise.


	4. Chapter 3

Into the Light of Darkness

 _The Beginnings of Dray'ven Darklight_

Chapter III

Dray'ven is sitting perched on a small ledge that protrudes the cave walls while staring at Lowiq. He sits for hours while snacking on his stolen rations. The small boy swings his dangling feet while pondering what Lowiq must have been thinking just hours earlier in the moments leading up to his current predicament. Dray'ven remembers feeling Lowiq's fear and desperation as though it were his own, but never knew his _thoughts_ and Dray'ven wondered if he would ever gain that ability as well. He recalled those same curiosities when his mother, Ventra, died in front of him. Although these days Dray'van tried hard to pretend that last memory of his mother was simply a story told to him by someone else, experienced by some other lonely slave-boy. It was easier to comprehend and contemplate this way.

Lowiq seemed smaller than usual to Dray'ven, which was sort of ironic since he was hanging so high. Lowiq's feet were angled down, toes pointing toward the ground and it all appeared rigid. Dray'ven imagines his whole body must be rigid as stone by this point. Dray'ven figures this from studying out of both curiosity and fascination the stages the body goes through in such a short time. Dray'ven is staring into Lowiq's hollow eyes and slowly refocuses his vision to see the minute details in Lowiq's face. The creases at the corners of Lowiq's eyes and forehead told Dray'ven that he must have been a man who smiled far too often. A dirty slaver has no right to be that happy.

 _Not smiling now_.

The thought brings a crooked smile to Dray'ven's face while he takes the final bite of the last ration poor Lowiq was charged to protect. This ration tastes much sweeter than any before it. Was it solely by chance, or simply because of the fond memory in feeling Lowiq's fear defeating him in the moment the slaver realized Dray'ven had just sealed his fate? Dray'ven knew it was the latter, but when you have all the time in the world to ponder it's far less wasteful to create the debate if just to occupy his mind.

Dray'ven lightly brushes the crumbs off of his face and thighs while taking one final full look, appreciating Lowiq hanging from his neck lifeless near the slavers' quarters for all slavers and slaves to see. Dray'ven relished in the fear this brought to the slavers. A reminder that even they have their own masters who are just as capable and ruthless as they themselves. Dray'ven did not enjoy the fear the body brought the slaves as well. Although by and large he could sense the slaves' fear were greatly overshadowed by their joy in seeing someone who deserved it get put out on display for a change. He took in that final look at Lowiq.

 _One down._

Dray'ven hops down from the ledge and before his feet has a chance to hit the ground he felt a _PULL_. Dray'ven trips over his own feet and his knees fall hard to the wet stone surface. He quickly brings his elbows back and spins around ready to fend off whoever it was that grabbed him. Except there's no one near him. Dray'ven quickly snaps his head glancing back and forth trying to figure out what happened- _PULL_ – _"what the"_ – _PULL._ Dray'ven begins to feel the fear creeping in, he doesn't understand what is happening to him. He starts to wonder if it's all a dream. Dray'ven reaches to grab hold of his feelings. He could not let go of his control, he knew once that happens he can be seen by anyone. Even worse he begins to fear what will happen to his own sanity if he lets go.

 _I can't let this happen. I_ _ **won't**_ _let this happen… Breath…_ _ **Breath**_ _…_

Dray'ven could still feel the _PULL_ as he begins to grab control of his fear. He uses those feelings of panic and channels the power in it to-

 _ **Focus**_ _._

He thinks to himself.

 _I just need to Focus. I am in_ _ **control**_ _-_

In that moment the _PULL_ comes more violently. He tries climbing to his feet-

 _I am in_ _ **contro-**_

Dray'ven is brought down hard to one knee, his hands fall flat and he begins to sweat. The _PULL_ inside his chest begins to burn. The burn begins to transform into a piercing pain starting in his chest and expands outward, as though carried by tainted blood pumping through his veins. Dray'ven could feel his fear climbing, growing with this pain and blanketing over all his conscious thought and feeling.

 _Why? Why!? Why can't I_ _ **cont**_ _-_

Dray'ven's elbows buckle under the weight of his own body that now seems heavier than ever before. The pain and fear occupy every cell in him now. But underneath the pain and fear he could sense his anger. Anger for not understanding what was happening to him, anger for the betrayal life has given him. To have taken his mother from him and given him this gift that kept him alive. This sense of things around him that allowed him to feel what nobody else could feel. That made him feel what his mother felt in the last moments of her doomed existence – no, more than feel, he _experienced it_. The gift that in that moment was the worst of all fates and curses. To share the grief and futility of death and then having to survive it to only be left alone. The anger in realizing that he has-

 _ **-no**_ _ **control!**_

As quickly as it had come on, the pain was gone. It felt as though a boulder were lift from his back and his fear dissolving with every exhale; and in its place he felt… clarity.

 _There is no control._

It was simple. It was transcendent. It was _terrifying_. Once Dray'ven found his feet were his own again he quickly moved into the restricted zone of the caves. He let his body fall the moment he knew nobody would happen upon him. He needed time to digest this. Dray'ven had realized some time ago to trust his feelings and follow them. But somewhere along the way he had become arrogant. He could manipulate the senses of others, feed off their fear and even at times utilize those fears for his own gain. He began to feel in control of not only his own fate, but the fates of others as well. He wanted revenge against the slavers and to free the slaves. To prevent anyone from having to experience the tragedies and pains he was forced to endure.

But this was only his beginning. He could feel deep inside himself that he would not die in these cursed mines. But just because he felt this, it did not mean that this fate was his to control. He had to follow his feelings, yes, but more importantly he had to allow this gift to guide him. He could manipulate this _force_ to his favor but it would all be for not if he did not have the patience to allow this _force_ to manipulate _him._

Dray'ven sat up while crossing his legs and he rest his wrists on his knees letting his hands hang loose. His body was upright with shoulders and muscles relaxed. He slowed his breathing and simply waited. The _PULL_ was gone and that was his punishment. The _PULL_ from before was this Force guiding him and he fought it.

 _So stupid…_

Dray'ven chastises to himself. But those thoughts are bringing him no gain either. He needs to acknowledge his mistake and learn from it if he is to become stronger, more powerful. He must do this if he wants to accomplish his goals and bring justice to the galaxy. Dray'ven settles in and sits for what must have been hours. Dray'ven begins to wonder how long he can hold out and just as a sliver of doubt begins to take form he _feels it_! It is there, that familiar sensation. At first it's a small tingle in his chest. The tingle slowly becomes a nudge that evolves into a gentle push. Dray'ven smiles in both relief and pride. He slowly opens his eyes and for a moment he could see the loose rocks and small stones that were scattered around the cave were-

"No way…"

The _clicks_ and _clatter_ echoed the narrow caves as the stones fell to the ground. Dray'ven would have thought this unbelievable if not for the feeling in his heart. He now knew that he knew _nothing,_ and that this was truly only the beginning.

Dray'ven stood confidently and followed his invisible guide into the darkness. He could feel the fear of the unknown surrounding him. Dray'ven would not deny this fear. He embraced it now, it fed him the power he needed for this next challenge. The first of many dangers he knows he will need to overcome in order to become what this _force_ means for him to be. No danger would be too great for him as long as he trusts in his feelings and the Force that guides him. Dray'ven lifts his foot and steps…

 _Forward._


	5. Chapter 4

Into the Light of Darkness

 _The Beginnings of Dray'ven Darklight_

Chapter IV

The tunnels felt smaller as Dray'ven ventured deeper. He knew part of it was the trick of light, how the further he stepped away from illumination the more convincing the illusion became. The Force was telling him to keep walking, trust that this is what was meant to be happening. Dray'ven could not shake the cold tingle that ricocheted through his spine. It was as if death itself was running its fingers across his back waiting for the perfect moment to take him.

Dray'ven could see life in these tunnels now. Bugs with more legs than he could count and large pincers he was more than happy to avoid at any cost. It seemed though that the darker the caves became, the bigger the creatures grew.

 _What am I looking for? Where am I going?_

The questions flood his conscious thought, repeating over and over like a broken audio-file. But no answer came, only a feeling that he would know when he arrived at his final destination. The light behind him was all but gone now and only darkness lay ahead. This maw of emptiness inviting him in, welcoming its next victim. Dray'ven's fear was near crippling, he could feel his knees shaking and his teeth began to chatter as though he were freezing. Oddly enough though the air had begun to grow warmer. He could feel a small breeze of warm air every few seconds. It felt he were now close to the mouth of a giant beast and feeling its breath against his skin.

As silly or far-fetched that image was in his mind, the more believable it became with every step. But the Force was pulling him stronger than ever before urging him onward. It was his light in this darkness and somehow he was able to feel everything around him. Unfortunately it took all his effort to sense anything, like straining to look through smoke or blurred vision. He could glimpse the forms or mass of creatures and objects but not their detail. And these forms were getting nothing but bigger and more threatening with every step. He could feel these creatures' curiosity of who or what he was... what he tastes like. But even more than their curiosity he felt their fear of him. He was an oddity, an unknown thing and this brought a small sense of comfort to him.

"At least I'm not the only one afraid." Dray'ven says reassuringly to himself.

The longer these nightmarish creatures watched him the more dangerous things began to feel. He could sense their fear waning and being replaced with a predator's appetite. Dray'ven was pretty sure that food was scarce and everything was either eat or be eaten, and he knew that eventually everything – including himself - became the latter.

"Not me. Not today." Dray'ven whispers into the darkness.

There was a flash of light out of the corner of Dray'ven's eye and he turned to look readying to defend himself. _With what!?_ He spits in his mind as he realizes he's currently empty handed. _Am I losing my mind?_ He ponders knowing that he is one to always be prepared. Cursing himself for just wandering into this labyrinth of nightmare creatures and death hanging on his shoulder in complete and utter darkness without even a stun-rod or vibro-blade to protect himself. _There it is again._ He sees a feint blue-green light tracing along the walls.

He starts to follow the light while watching it pulsate as though it were alive. Veins stretched along the surface of the cave walls that became more vibrant the deeper he traveled. Dray'ven steps up in curiosity to one of the glowing veins and reaches out with his hand. He cautiously let his middle finger touch the surface. It felt smooth and seemed to hum under his fingertips. It was moist and it was warm. _It is alive._ For a moment he was memorized staring into the light and feeling the energy coursing underneath his fingertips. Dray'ven closed his eyes and tried to reach out with his feelings, cautiously (like his hand a moment ago) he grazed along the vein with his mind. When he felt no danger he reached out further and began to trace along the veins deeper into the tunnel. He traveled the energy and life until he reached the source.

"Ow!" Dray'ven yelped, less out of pain and more out of surprise. His hand was throbbing and he found himself already standing a few steps back from the veined wall. _What was that?_ He thought to himself as he tried to understand what just happened. He remembered coming to the source of the light and then… brightness. Like a glow-rod were a hair's length from his eye and it was so bright that it hurt. But behind that brightness Dray'ven knew there was something else. Something hungry.

"Great!" Dray'ven complains. "Of course that's where I gotta go." He speaks out in frustration.

This does not slow him down though, if anything it revitalizes him. He was afraid, sure, but that fear only told him that this was something worth the risk. At least he _hoped_ it was…

It wasn't a long walk before Dray'ven noticed that the creatures that were just moments earlier hunting him had now retreated. Which meant either they lost their appetite or knew where he was headed and knew better than to follow. _I really hope it's the first one._ Something he would never admit out loud since he had a bit a shame even admitting it to himself.

" _Ooommff!"_ Dray'ven's air escaped his chest and he went flying against the cave wall. He could hear stones clacking off the surface around him. The sound was growing louder, getting closer. _Those aren't stone!_ He realizes and the vein lights begin to pulsate again brighter than ever. It was as if the excitement in the caves directly affected the vibrancy and energy in the veins. Dray'ven could see it now, the light reflects off the eyes. _So many eyes._ As the creature grew closer he could see the long exoskeletal legs protruding from the hair centered mass quickly closing the distance on him. The clack-clack that he at first that were rocks hitting the floor were simply this monsters feet carrying him to a delicious meal.

Dray'ven was on his feet, fear flooding his every pore and a smile stretching across his face. _This is it!_ He thought to himself as his fear gripped at his soul. But he was smiling bigger than ever now because he felt it – this monster was afraid too. A fear masked by predatory animalistic instincts to fight first. Eat before being eaten! The fear drove this creature and limited it as well. The fear controlled every action and reaction. If there was one thing Dray'ven understood was fear, he knew its weaknesses and how to exploit them. Dray'ven stood strong and did not waiver as the creator's pincers opened wrapping around his head. Waiting to clamp down on his neck as soon as it knew it circled him completely. Each pincer must have been the length of his forearm. And as soon as Dray'ven could feel the its rotted breath hit his face the pincers closed like a vice trap. In that moment he dropped to the floor and he could hear the _clack!_ As the points of the pincers collided with the surface of the cave wall missing its target.

Dray'ven clambered on his hands and knees desperate to get behind the monster. Out of its line of sight so that hopefully he could have enough time to collect his thoughts and thing of his next plan. He couldn't just run and dodge this thing forever. He had to find a way to kill it, or at least hurt it. Fear wouldn't make this thing run, Dray'ven knew this much. It was against its nature, but he could continue to toy with it until an opportunity presented itself.

Dray'ven could feel long sharp barb-like hairs scrape his shoulders and back as he crawled beneath this creature and through its legs. Every moment his skin touched those long hairs he could feel the thing shift his way. Of course this monster used more senses to see than just its eyes, it did exist in darkness after all. Dray'ven reached out a hand and grabbed ahold of one of the hairs and pulled _hard._ He could feel the pressure release and heard a _tic_ and the hair pulled free.

" _Oooomff!"_ Dray'ven's air escaped him again as the creature turned more violently than ever before. It let out a screech and the leg which the hair was attached began to twitch uncontrollably for a few seconds. The monster turned to face him and took a moment to stare him eye-to-eye. It was no longer just afraid. It was _pissed!_

"Whoops…" Dray'ven whimpered. The legs on the creature looked to almost be running in place for a fraction of a second as the creature charged into a full on sprint. There was no hesitation in its movements now. It wanted this hunt over and it planned to end it this instant. Dray'ven backed away retreating as fast as he could without taking his focus off the creature. Hoping for an opportunity to roll or juke the creature somehow. But he knew that those tricks were coming to an end and its anger was giving it a bloodthirsty focus that Dray'ven could not overcome with simple agility. As he stepped back he felt his heel catch a stone on the floor and he began to topple clumsily to the floor. The light was bright around him now and his eyes quickly scanned his surroundings. He could see now he was sitting at what must have been the source of the veins. He was at what appeared to be some sort of nerve center and he was sitting directly in it.

Then he could feel it, the _Force_ pulling his attention away from his hunter to something sitting on the floor next to him. _Really!?_ He thinks to himself as his eyes settle on what it was he was here to collect. His prize and key to the power he needed to fulfill his destiny.

" _A stone?…_ " Dray'ven was unsure if these words were only in his head or if they actually escaped his lips. Regardless Dray'ven was already reaching for the object. A small stone no bigger than his palm, something barely bigger than a pebble. Dray'ven could feel his focus growing as he was closer to the stone. Time slowed, the monster seemed to move at a mere crawl now. Dray'ven's fear of death, anger in disappointment of this small finding and uncertainty in his abilities with the Force was overwhelming him. He could feel the dark storm clouds growing in his mind, their power as terrifying and limitless as nature itself.

Dray'ven's fingers dug into the veins underneath the stone and closed down around it tearing through its light and life-energy. The moment his hand came up off the ground it was a clenched fist and at the center of it was _power!_ The focus and energy shot up his arm and flood his body. He could feel his body temperature rising, his anger and fear coming to a head of the storm. Every cell flooded with what he could only describe as pure white light. Dray'ven's stared at his closed fist with eyes wide open in shock and confusion. Dray'ven's left hand which was free was not extended in front of him towards the creature still barreling towards him. He felt the impact against his left hand and could feel the squishy cold bulbous eyes wrapped around his outstretched fingers.

Time seemed to be frozen now, the creature was no longer moving and everything was as quiet as death itself. Dray'ven was still hypnotized looking at his closed fist. He could see now the veins in his arm begin to luminesce like the cave walls. The light looked red beneath the skin as it traveled up his arm, he loses sight as it travels into his chest but reappears as it travels down his other arm. It creeps through his veins under his skin until it reaches his outstretched hand on the monsters head and splits into each finger.

The light escaped his fingertips, the silence is gone now as the creature begins to screech a bloodcurdling pitch. The light forks from his hand like a broken power converter. Images flash through Dray'ven's mind. His mother, the slaves, the slavers – every thought, feeling and memory that was a poison in his soul and seeded fear into his heart had all come to bear on him in this moment. It was a typhoon of energy made up of fear. Dray'ven tightened down on the stone and drew on it, focus beyond what he ever thought possible. His eyebrows furrowed together and his eyes stared daggers into the creatures mind. As though pulling a trigger he released his fears and channeled them through the lighting from his hand. He could smell the flesh burn as the creatures eyes burst from the heat and energy flooding its body. It squealed and squirmed for a few moments longer until both the creature and Dray'ven let out an exhausted sigh.

They both fell to the floor drained. Dray'ven at first thought the creature dead, this thought quickly dissolved when the sound of its whimper began to escape it mandibles. Dray'ven could see that the creature was now blind for none of the many eyes had enough form left to possibly see. Dray'ven could sense the fear in the creature now greater than ever before. As though it were in a perpetual nightmare; paralyzed by it. Dray'ven looked down at his closed fist and slowly opened his hand.

"Just a stone…"

He chuckles to himself and begins to laugh out loud when the exhaustion finally hits him completely and his head falls towards the floor, asleep before ever hitting the ground.


	6. Chapter 5

Into the Light of Darkness

 _The Beginnings of Dray'ven Darklight_

Chapter V

 _Dray'ven is lying in the desert, it appears to be nighttime but there are no stars in the sky nor a moon to gaze upon. Dray'ven is on his back, arms and legs stretched out and unmoving. He tries to lift his right hand, still bound in a tight fist, but it don't budge. His whole body feels heavy and weak as if bound to the floor. He can hear insects chittering around him. Closing in on him as he lays petrified and defenseless. Dray'ven struggles with all his will to move even an inch. The creatures are crawling on him now, their legs scratching at his skin. Every step feels like a needle pressing against him. He can feel his pulse throbbing in his temples and neck. One of the creatures circles his collarbone and chest, searching for the perfect spot to sink its pincers. Dray'ven can almost sense the moment it catches his vein pumping heavily in his neck. He can feel time slow down as the creature stabs into him, savoring his sweet life-blood. Dray'ven winces and feels his left hand fly off the floor and grab hold of the creature feasting on him –_

 _SMACK!_

Dray'ven's eyes flash open and the dull ambient light of the veined cave walls seem as bright as a sun for a moment. He can feel something writhing in his left hand, pinch at his fingers and oozing warm fluid from the center of its exoskeleton. Dray'ven stared at this disgusting little monster for a few seconds, watching it squirm and try to wriggle free of his grip. Desperately clinging to its pitiful existence in these dank, horrid caves. Finally he tightens his grip and feels a _crack_ while watching the countless legs come to a stop, with its pincers agape and stained with Dray'ven's blood. Dray'ven allows to the satisfaction to flood him, but the current he feels shame and guilt. _Where is the pride in killing something only doing what it was put here to do? Something like me… just trying to survive._

He gently lies the creature on the floor as he stands up onto his feet. Dray'ven wobbles slightly and feels his legs spasm as they realign with his own body weight. He realizes his right hand feels a bit heavier than his left and he suddenly remembers why is was there in the first place. Dray'ven holds his clenched fist out in front of him and slowly opens his fingers revealing the –

"Stone…" Dray'ven whispers at the end of his breath in equal parts confusion and curiosity.

He knew this rock was special, just holding it brought him more focus. _But why?_ It is just a stone after all. _Isn't it?_ The more he tried making sense of it the more the Force was urging him to stop. To just accept this gift and use it to become stronger, more powerful. Maybe even strong enough to punish the slavers, free the slaves and escape this tomb.

But even with the added focus Dray'ven felt weak at the moment. He was sweating and feeling weaker with each passing minute. It was definitely cooling down, the ambient light was fading – _dying_. Dray'ven looks to the large creature that he injured to get this stone. It's dead now, not by Dray'ven's hands directly but definitely as a consequence to their encounter. Blind and paralyzed with fear this creature had to way to protect itself. This quickly made it a meal for all the smaller creatures which before wouldn't dare come into its nest. Dray'ven somehow knew that its death was directly effecting the veins along the walls. He figures the creature must have created then, used the light as a sort of trap for smaller creatures who would be curious or attracted to it. Regardless this only meant one real thing to Dray'ven – it will be completely dark soon. Dray'ven wipes at the sweat dripping from his forehead with the back of his hand and as it crosses his face he feels the sting of sweat in his eyes. He winces for a second and slowly opens his eyelids. His vision is blurred and tinted… red. It's not sweat it's _blood._ Dray'ven wipes again at his face wiping his eyes clean and stares at his hand coated in the red oily shine of his own blood. He wasn't sweating, he was bleeding and it wasn't stopping.

Dray'ven realizes that he needs to get back to his supplies quick and patch his wounds or else this whole adventure would be his very last. Dray'ven quickly takes his left leg in long step toward home and he feels a pain stab into his knee. It buckles for a second and he catches himself with his right.

" _Poodoo!"_ He curses out in pain.

Dray'ven shifts his body limited the weight on his left and begins to use the cave wall as leverage while he hurriedly hobbles out of the deep mine. It doesn't take long for the ambient light to go completely dark. Dray'ven could feel the creatures that previously feared the ambient death trap were now flooding into the cave. He could sense their hunger intensify as the scent of Dray'ven's blood hit them. Dray'ven picked up his pace and turned a sharp corner. _There!_ He could see a pinpoint of light. That which was not long ago the starting point of this journey, now turned to a finishing line - a point of sanctuary for this injured prey.

The danger was closing in on Dray'ven faster than the distance to the light. He knew that his pain would have to be put aside for later if he was going to survive today. Dray'ven pulled himself off the wall and put all his weight on his left leg as he pushed forward into a crooked sprint. His shoulder dropped with his body every step to the left. He knew the pain was increasing, he could feel tearing muscle and tendons popping with every meter covered. The creatures were at his heels now, he could feel their pincers scratch at his ankles and calves narrowing escaping a gripping pinch. Finally he broke through into the light. Dray'ven turns to look over his shoulder and see the creatures halted at the edge of the light in the darkness; as if they ran into an invisible wall.

" _Ooomff"_ Dray'ven exhales as he himself hits something large and collapses to the ground.

"Grraaaahhh" A giant hairy creature growls out in surprise and looks down at him.

Dray'ven takes the beast's sight in, she's covered in matted fur with soft brown eyes contradicted by menacing fangs protruding out beneath its tinted brown-black lips. Her head tilts to the side quizzically examining him, this pale skinned brown hair human. Thin and covered in blood and muck. She reaches down with her long lanky arms and scoops him up as though he were as light as air. Dray'ven is unable resist, he wouldn't even if he could he realizes the moment her hands were on him. He felt a mother's nurture envelope him. His eyes swelled with tears. A connection he hadn't felt since that horrible day. Dray'ven let go of all his reservations and gave in to this feeling… feeling _safe._


End file.
